


Flames Of War

by Aramirandme81



Series: Fire And Ice [2]
Category: Captain America (2011), Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor (2011)
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-02
Updated: 2012-05-02
Packaged: 2017-11-04 17:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/396552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/pseuds/Aramirandme81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sort of both followup and prequel to 'Burning Ice' Set in the movie and seen from Tony's pow.<br/>So yes MAJOR movie spoilers inside. Ye have been warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flames Of War

**Author's Note:**

> See summary for info. And yes to me Coulson IS a major charater thank you very much.
> 
> And Please point out any mstakes (esp gramma) if you see them. English is not my language.
> 
> Cheers!

****

They clash. 

Of course they do. 

How could they not?

 

Steve is all rules and regulations, and Tony is… well he’s Tony ‘let’s blow this shit up’ Stark.

“Why shouldn’t the guy lay of a little steam.”

“You know damn well why. Back off.”

“Oh I’m starting to want you to make me.”

 

They spar with words as sharp as any sword, and as precisely aimed as if they where using an SI- guide system.  
Tony might have the more practice with verbal warfare, but Steve is made to fight and picks up with frighteningly ease. They have only just met a few hours ago, with no real time for small talk, yet they zero in on one another’s weakness with the ease of embittered x-spouses. And within minutes both have sunk their poison teeth deep into the others psyche. It’s all about getting the upper hand and drawing as much blood as they can in the process. 

“Big man in a suit of armor, take that away what are you?” Tony’s got that one covered with ease.

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” He says and just to twist the knife, does NOT smirk as he’s sure the captain had expected.

Oh but Cap’s not done.

“I know guys who are non of that, worth ten of you.” Cap’ goes in for the kill. “I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is your self. You’re not the one to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on the wire and let the other guys crawl over you.” Ok, ouch that really fucking hurt! But Tony’s not one to be beaten, and hardly any sign that Cap scored a hit can be seen on his face as he replies.

“I’d think I’d just cut the wire.” Cap looks slightly exasperated at his best shot being deflected with such ease. 

“Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you need to stop pretending to be a hero.”

Oh he’s pissed now alright, and now it’s his turn to move in for a kill shot.  
“A hero. Like you? You are a laboratory experiment Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.” 

Oh but the look on Rogers face is priceless. His nostrils are flaring, his eyes are shooting daggers and he’s all but growling as he says: “Put on the suit. Let’s go a few rounds.”

 

It’s properly a very good thing that Bruce manages to get all eyes on him by subconsciously grabbing Loki’s spear when he does, else there is a real chance that earth would have been short two avengers before they even had something to avenge.

 

It’s chaos, explosions, raging ‘monsters’ and deadly peril that makes them draw back their fangs and work together instead. 

Rogers is in full action mode this time as he says: “Put on the suit.”

Tony being the genius that he is settles for: “Yep.” As an answer.

 

If Tony is being honest with himself, which, contrary to popular belief, he actually always is (he just doesn’t always listen to himself) they work together with almost as much ease as they fight each other with. Heck they even manage to safe each others lives, that’s got to count for something. 

 

Fate is evidently in a particularly bitchy mood that day for within minutes of the two of them standing in the corridor getting ready to shake hands and maybe drain some of the poison they injected earlier, Fury announces that they’ve lost Coulson. 

 

Fury talks to them about The Avengers Initiative, and throws Coulson’s Captain America cards on the table. There’s blood on them, and the look in Cap’s eyes are a cross between kicked puppy and old soldier. Tony is just angry as hell, and at Fury’s “Phil died believing in hero’s.” line he get’s up and leaves before he does something he’ll regret. Also so they won’t see how much losing anyone actually affects him.

Because somehow Agent Phill (who knew) Coulson had become one of the persons in Tony’s little circle of people he thought of as real. Tony might not have had an overwhelming amount of love for the guy but hey not that many people could stand up to Tony STARK, and of those that did many where shaking in their boots. Coulson had just given a not quite smile and promised, oh yes it was not a threat but a promise, to taser Tony until he was a drooling pile of hurt on his own expensive carpet. You had to respect that. Plus Pepper had liked him, so she would be sad that he was gone, and no-one, God or no, No-One made Pepper sad if Tony had anything to say about it.

 

The good captain find Tony as he’s standing in the now empty ‘Hulk bay’.

“Was he married?” Cap asks like the good commander and person Tony’s conscious is whispering he is. 

“No. There was a… cellist. I think.”

“I’m sorry. He seemed a good man.” Cap’ tries to connect, and Tony has to snort.

“He was an Idiot.”

“Why? For believing?”

“For takeing on Loki alone.”

“It was his job.”

Tony scoffs at that. “He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have…” Tony doesn’t know what Phil should have, but it certainly wasn’t died.

“Sometimes there isn’t a way out.” Steve says as if he can read Tony’s thoughts. And hey when did Cap become Steve? One little insight and he’s STEVE?!?! Ok Stark you need to distance your’ self right now.

“Right. Than worked out for him.”

“Is this the first soldier you’ve lost?” And Steve is GONE and Tony’s back to Captain, maybe for good.

“We Are NOT Soldiers!” Tony is so angry he’s tempted to push Steve down the hole, just to se if he’ll go ‘Splat’ in a military fashion. Breathing deeply trough his nose he manages to collect him self somewhat. “I’m not marching to Fury’s phife.” 

“Neither am I. He’s got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. But right now we need to put that behind us and get this done.” Tony zones out while listening to Cap, and his gaze falls on the dark spot of Coulsons blood still on the all. Cap continues: “Now Loki needs a power source. If we can put together a list…”

Tony can firmly feel his neurons flashing as an epiphany strikes him.

“He made it personal.”

Cap doesn’t get it. “That’s not the point.”

But Tony KNOWS that he’s on to something here. “That IS the point. THAT’s Loki’s point. He hits us all right where we live, why?”

“To tear us apart?” Cap might not be following, but he’s smart enough to listen to Tony which is a plus in Tony’s book.

“Yeah, divide and conquer is great, but he knows he has to take us out to win right?” Steve nods, and Tony continues. “THAT’s what he wants. He wants to beat us and he needs to be seen doing it. He wants and audience.”

“Right, I caught his act in Stutgaard.”

“Yeah that’s all just previews. This is opening night, and Loki he’s a full till diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument build to the sky with his name plastered… “ Lightning strikes Tony’s brain with an understanding as clear and powerful as repulser fire. “Son of a bitch.” Tony tears out of there Cap hot on his heels trying to catch up with the genius.

“Stark what?”

“It’s Stark Tower. He’s going to use my reactor to power the tesseract. Get the others ready, I’m going to make some repairs to the suit.” He yells and runs for the workshop trusting that Cap will know what to do even if they are still not on personal terms with each other.

They don’t have time to make friends now. There’s Avenging to be done.

 

Everything goes downhill in a dizzyingly ferocious spiral after that. But hey: End of the world and all that, so they can forget about snide comments and the like. That they end on a high note by saveing the earth is really quite awesome in Tony’s opinion. 

Though, he would have preferred to do it without nearly signing out for good, again. Even if it would have been a spectacularly heroic death, granting him VIP access to Sto’Vo’Kor, the Force, Valhalla and all that. 

Not that he’d really wanted to go to any of those places. Too barbaric, too quiet and too…well full of Asgardians. Oh he likes Thor, he’s just really all the alien life form Tony’s brain can handle right now. Plus they’ve just send Loki there, and he’s not the kind of person that Tony want to spend eternity avoiding at social gatherings. So yeah…. Being alive I good. Plus he really wants to try that shawarma thing now.

And oh, Bruce is moving in to Stark Tower! Tony still can’t stop smiling at how he managed to talk the big guy into that. Especially not because he’d swear, that Fury’s eye made a nervous twitch at hearing it.

Lot’s and lot’s of fun to be had with that. Even if Bruce’s got an annoyingly tight leash on the Hulk, he still understands more of what Tony says than most everyone else. Having conversations without having to dumb it down and use visual aids? Really refreshing.

 

As for the others: he’s pretty sure he’ll never get rid of the sense of betrayal and distrust that lingers between him and the widow. Which is why he does not shake hands with her and Clint, but settles for a nod in their direction. To be fair the nod is more for Clint, him Tony instantly liked, he was as straight and to the point as his arrows. Even if he too had that S.H.I.E.L.D creepiness going.

 

Cap. 

Well despite the venom still floating in his veins from their bitter word feud, he does shake hands with him. How could he not? He was Steve Rogers, Captain America and smiled that apple pie, sunshine and puppy’s smile at him, and despite his nom de guerre Tony really is only human.  
Oh he knows that they are made to clash. After all they are about as compatible as fire and ice, or fire and gasoline, or…well you get the picture.

But as they’d said they’re goodbye’s and Tony got into his car with Bruce, he caught a glimpse of sunlight in Steve’s blond hair that provoked a strange pull somewhere in Tony’s chest, and somehow he knew: They would see each other again. 

Turning to Bruce he smiled his best shit eating grin and asked: “Ready to blow some shit up?” before smoothly guiding the car homewards while Bruce’s chuckles warmly beside him. 

Yeah Tony’s glad they saved the earth.


End file.
